Indulge Yourself & Feel Good About It: PRATIMA Skincare + Spa

Photo Credit: PRATIMA Spa

When I moved to NYC I was on a hunt to find the best cruelty-free spas the city has to offer. After some serious research I found an excellent one that I’m so excited to tell you about! PRATIMA Spa in Soho and the PRATIMA Skincare line are both based in Ayurvedic medicine, a 5,000 year old Indian healing tradition. PRATIMA Spa is a place where ancient wisdom and modern science come together to offer you the best experience possible. Dr. Pratima Raichur, founder of the spa, is quoted as saying that “true beauty is an expression of wellness” and I just love that concept. Pratima creates her own products and focuses on curative formulas made with the highest quality ingredients from sustainable farms in the U.S. and India. Her products are free of all chemicals, synthetic preservatives, parabens, GMOs, artificial scents, artificial colors, and artificial dyes (aka all that icky stuff we shouldn’t be putting on our skin to begin with!). The spa is also eco-friendly and was the first spa in NY built in accordance with LEED standards.

 Photo Credit: PRATIMA Spa

PRATIMA Spa adheres to the sattvic principle, which is an Indian concept that means everything is created in a way that must be non-harming to any living being.

I was a little skeptical at first about how cruelty-free they could really be because some of the products contain milk…and in the U.S. dairy is often synonymous with cruelty. I knew that in India cows are viewed as divine beings, and since this spa is rooted in Indian tradition I was hoping there was something to PRATIMA Spa that made the use of milk in their products different from the rest…and luckily there is! Here is what Sara from the PRATIMA Spa told me about their philosophy and how their products and practices are truly sattvic:

• The dairy in PRATIMA products comes from India where the cows are treated with the utmost respect and integrity.
• The law in India, which PRATIMA Spa faithfully abides by, is that the first batch of milk from a cow is always used for baby calves and only once calves are cared for can any remaining milk be used for human purposes.
• All cows that provide milk for PRATIMA Spa are hand-milked. (This is so great… I’ll share with you in a future post why machine milking is so nasty.)
• All cows that provide milk for PRATIMA Spa are massaged daily.
• None of the products are tested on animals.

I was so happy to learn these facts about the dairy they source for their products. It is such a stark contrast to how dairy is usually sourced in the U.S. And speaking of PRATIMA’s sattvic products, I am especially loving the Neem Purifying Cream. I also love the certified organic essential oils used at the spa.

 Photo Credit: PRATIMA Spa

And the spa experience itself was just great. As you can see from the photos above the spa is beautiful. Walking through PRATIMA’s doors feels like a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. At the spa I had the abhyanga massage and ayurvedic facial that were both fantastic. The abhyanga massage includes an oil treatment for your hair, which I loved. After I washed it out the next day it left my hair soft and shiny. And FYI, a word to the wise, right after the massage, before you wash your hair, you will look like a total grease ball so make sure you don’t plan any hot dates right afterwards. 😉

PRATIMA Spa is a place where you leave not only feeling great because of the treatments you’ve had, but also feeling great because you’ve supported a business that is committed to safe, kind, cruelty-free practices.

Check out the PRATIMA Skincare line or the PRATIMA Ayurvedic Skincare Spa Clinic at 110 Greene Street, Suite 701 in Soho.